Vortex pump



K. E. GLASS May 30, 1967 VORTEX PUMP Original Filed April 8, 1965 United States Patent 3,322,070 VORTEX PUMP Kenneth E. Glass, Fort Thomas, Ky., assignor to Allis- Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis. Continuation of application Ser. No. 446,515, Apr. 8, 1965. This application Mar. 11, 1966, Ser. No. 542,980 2 Claims. (Cl. 103-103) This invention pertains in general to centrifugal pumps and more particularly to that type of centrifugal pump referred to as nonclogging or solids handling and is a continuation of application Ser. No. 446,515 filed Apr. 8, 1965, and now abandoned, by Kenneth E. Glass, entitled, Vortex Pump.

Pump manufacturers are more frequently being called upon to supply pumps which will handle solids and liquids having a high percentage of solids. One common type of solids handling pump includes a pump casing having a swirl chamber and an impeller chamber. The pump inlet and outlet are connected to the swirl chamber. The impeller rotating in its chamber imparts a swirl to the liquid in the swirl chamber which imparts an angular velocity to the solids in the liquid. In this manner the solids in the liquid can pass through the swirl chamber Without coming into contact with and fouling the impeller.

With this type of arrangement almost .any type of solid material can be pumped without clogging the pump impeller. Although this type of pump does fill a very definite need in the solids handling industry, it is very inefiicient and only a very nominal head can be developed by such a pump. There is therefore a need to improve the efficiency and capacity of this type of solids handling pump.

It is the general intention and main object of this invention to provide a solids handling pump of the above described character which is more efficient and will develop a larger head than previously known pumps of this type.

A more specific object of the subject invention is to provide a pump of the herein described type which has in effect a working swirl chamber and an auxiliary swirl chamber which increases the velocity of the liquid in the working swirl chamber.

A more specific object of the subject invention is to provide a pump of the hereinbefore described type with an annular space between the radially outer end of the impeller and the inner peripheral surface of the pump housing so as :to develop a swirling annulus of liquid.

These .and other objects of the invention will become more fully apparent as the following description is read in light of the attached drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross section through a pump constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line IIII in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawing .a pump casing generally designated 6 is constructed of an annular outer cylindrical wall 7 and oppositely disposed disk shaped side walls 8 and 9. The side Walls may be connected to the annular wall in any conventional manner and are herein shown as connected thereto by circumferentially spaced cap screws 11. The forward wall 8 has a centrally located opening therethrough which has an intake pipe 12 in registry therewith. The intake pipe may be connected to the wall 8 in any conventional manner such as by Welding. A tangentially disposed discharge pipe 13 is found in the outer wall 7 and is in fluid communication with the interior of the pump casing.

'may be held on the spline portion of The rearward wall 9 is also provided with a centrally located opening through which the impeller drive shaft 14 passes. This opening is conventionally closed by a stuffing box 16 having packing 17 contained therein to provide a seal between the rotating drive shaft 14 and the pump casing.

A rotating centrifugal pump impeller 18 is connected to the drive shaft 14in any conventional manner. As herein shown for purposes of illustration a paddle-like impeller having a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially directed blades 19 is connected to the drive shaft. To effect this connection the inner end of the drive shaft has a male spline thereon. The hub 21 of the impeller is provided with a complementary female spline so as to engage the splines on the drive shaft. The impeller the shaft in any conventional manner and is herein shown as held thereon by means of a nut 22 turned onto a threaded portion 23 at the inner end of the 'drive shaft. Spacer collars 24 and 26 may be provided as required.

It should be noted that the pump casing and the impeller positioned therein define in effect two chambers 27 and 28 within the pump casing. The chamber 27 may be referred to as a working swirl chamber and the chamber 28 may be referred to as an auxiliary swirl chamber. As the impeller 18 rotates, it imparts a swirl to the liquid in the working chamber 27, causing it to rotate and form a vortex. At the same time liquid is being flung radially outward by the impeller blade and caused to rotate about the auxiliary chamber 28. This causes a rotating annulus of liquid in the auxiliary chamber. With this arrangement both the face of the impeller and the rotating annulus of liquid in the auxiliary chamber act upon the liquid in the working chamber 27 causing it to swirl at a greater velocity. From this it can be seen that for a given impeller size a greater velocity can be imparted to the swirling liquid in the Working chamber in a pump having the auxiliary chamber than is possible in a pump without the auxiliary chamber. This results in increased efliciency and a larger efl'ective head.

Although only one embodiment of the subject invention has been herein shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications are possible, and it is intended that all such modifications as come within a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims be covered.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A centrifugal pump comprising; a casing having a peripheral wall, said wall having a single continuously smooth inner surface; a pair of axially spaced end walls defining with said peripheral wall a pumping chamber; an axial inlet of preselected diameter in one of said end walls; a tangential out-let in the peripheral wall adjacent the end wall having said inlet; and a pump impeller having a plurality of blades rotatably supported in said pumping chamber coaxial with said inlet, said bla'des having open end edges facing said inlet and axially spaced therefrom a distance not less than the diameter of said inlet, said outlet being located entirely axially forward of said open end edges of said blades, and said blades having outer radial ends spaced a substantial radial distance inwardly of said single continuously smooth inner surface whereby said impeller produces an annulus of rotating fluid between the radial outer ends of said blades and said smooth inner surface and said outlet.

' 4 2. The centrifugal pump set forth in claim 1 wherein 3,167,021 1/1965 Sence 103-415 said blade ends are spaced from said inner peripheral ,171, 7 3/1965 Egger 103--1O3 surface of said chamber a distance at least equal .to 5% 3,190,226 5/1965 d 0 5 of the radial length of said blade. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited 534,355 1/1955 Belgium. UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT M. WALKER, Primary Examiner.

2,635,548 4/1953 Br-awley 103-103 HENRY F. RADUAZO, DONLEY J. STOCKING,

4 ,40 7/1962 Mellott 103 103 Examiners. 

1. A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP COMPRISING; A CASING HAVING A PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID WALL HAVING A SINGLE CONTINUOUSLY SMOOTH INNER SURFACE; A PAIR OF AXIALLY SPACED END WALLS DEFINING WITH SAID PERIPHERAL WALL A PUMPING CHAMBER; AN AXIAL INLET OF PRESELECTED DIAMETER IN ONE OF SAID END WALLS; A TANGENTIAL OUTLET IN THE PERIPHERAL WALL ADJACENT THE END WALL HAVING SAID INLET; AND PUMP IMPELLER HAVING A PLURALITY OF BLADES ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID PUMPING CHAMBER COAXIAL WITH SAID INLET, SAID BLADES HAVING OPEN END EDGES FACING SAID INLET AND AXIALLY SPACED THEREFROM A DISTANCE NOT LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID INLET, SAID OUTLET BEING LOCATED ENTIRELY AXIALLY FORWARD OF SAID OPEN END EDGES OF SAID BLADES, AND SAID BLADES HAVING OUTER RADIAL ENDS SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL RADIAL DISTANCE INWARDLY OF SAID SINGLE CONTINUOUSLY SMOOTH INNER SURFACE WHEREBY SAID IMPELLER PRODUCES AN ANNULUS OF ROTATING FLUID BETWEEN THE RADIAL OUTER ENDS OF SAID BLADES AND SAID SMOOTH INNER SURFACE AND SAID OUTLET. 